


What He Has To Do

by hi_no_senshi



Category: Kamen Rider Kuuga
Genre: M/M, Series Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2014-10-13
Packaged: 2018-02-20 23:53:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2447678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hi_no_senshi/pseuds/hi_no_senshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Yes. Yes, I'm here, Godai."</p>
            </blockquote>





	What He Has To Do

Ichijou found himself in a crouch, forearm over his face, as Daguva exploded. He held on grimly, aware that there was no point in racing towards Godai's b- Godai while this was happening. If he ended up on fire himself, he'd be of no help whatsoever.

_CRACK-_

He was midair before he knew it, fire across his chest and stomach. He managed to curl enough so that his back and shoulders struck the tree behind him, not his skull, but it was still a stunning impact. He dropped to one knee, just as -

Godai. Hand still raised on the followthrough from where he'd struck. 

"I knew you couldn't sh-"

Ichijou came up firing. Godai's eyes were black from eyelid to eyelid, and open wide in utter astonishment as he staggered back. He clapped a hand to his stomach, but blood still trickled between his fingers. 

Ichijou took two steps forward. His boots crunched in the snow, and it was difficult to see through the occasional flurry that blew up between them. There was a large black blast mark across the ground off to the left, where the remains of Daguva lay. 

"You think I won't do what I have to do?" he shouted. It was a rhetorical question. His voice was more wobbly than he wanted, but to be fair hot nausea radiated from the top of his neck, and he was also trying very hard not to kill his best friend. "You think I won't stop you from hurting others?" 

"It doesn't have to be this way. You can be his pet, he'll take care of you. He doesn't want you dead. But you can't aim that well, you'll murder-"

Another blast from the shotgun. Ichijou didn't make a sound, but he swore inside his head, where he kept the fear and worry and love all in a ball, all fiercely controlled. He'd _missed_ the damn Arcle. He'd studied enough in the last day to know that he had to hit both sides of it, but it was an insanely difficult shot at this distance even if the other person wasn't actively trying to kill him. He'd managed the right. He had to hit the left, this time. Before Godai powered up to the point of being able to knock him out, possibly kill him even if it was unintentional, then fly off. 

Godai stopped, and looked down at his stomach. The second bullet had only grazed him. The torn edges of his jacket flapped in the wind. He looked up at Ichijou. Ichijou swallowed at the sheer fury on Godai's face, but then Godai smiled. 

Fists clenched, he began to radiate... blackness. Blackness so cold it _burned_. Ichijou stepped back. No choice. If he stayed too close he'd get drawn into it, but Godai was wobbly, now, hard to see with the - the waves of cold blackness surging out of him. And that didn't make the goddamn shot any easier. If Ichijou didn't take the shot now, Godai would get stronger, and then it was all over. 

Hell.

Ichijou stepped forward, teeth meeting in his lower lip as the cold ripped at him, burned his skin, burned his determination. It'd be better to regroup, right? Better to give up, to go back to Enokida-tachi and get their help, better to find out another way to do this. Better not to die here and leave the others without help from him. 

_**No.** _

He held on grimly to himself, and to the Godai in his head, free and smiling. He fired.

The explosion hurled him back so far he lost consciousness, but only for a second. 

When he managed to slog his way back to Godai's crumpled form, he found a pulse, and he called for backup and an ambulance.

He fell back onto his behind in relief and exhaustion. There was blood on his hands. Blood on Godai's front. He gathered Godai close with infinite gentleness. When he heard a soft, shaky, "I-Ichijou-san?" then he found that he was crying. 

"Yes. Yes, I'm here, Godai."


End file.
